This past weekend we passed along the video and summary of the on-court incident between Houston's Aubrey Coleman, and Arizona's Chase Budinger. Conference USA has taken swift action against Coleman, but I'd hardly call it steep. He will sit out his team's game Wednesday against UTEP as he serves his one-game suspension. The gray area in this issue most certainly has to be whether or not the stomping of Budinger's face by Coleman was intentional. I would hope that if it was clearly intentional to conference officials that he'd receive a much more harsh penalty than one game, although, we can't necessary confirm whether or not that is the case.
As it stands, though, Coleman will only be missing the one game. He also offered up an apology to Budinger, while maintaining the misstep was definitely an accidental one.
"I want to apologize to Chase Budinger for what happened Saturday night. I never meant to step on him," Coleman said in a statement issued by the school. "I have never been in an incident like this before, and I have nothing but respect for him as a great player.Houston's also wanted to apologize for the incident.
"I love the game too much to do something like that intentionally. I want to say I am sorry from the bottom of my heart," Coleman said. "I know that God knows what is in my heart, but I am hopeful that Chase will understand and forgive."
"The University of Houston has always and will continue to uphold the highest levels of sportsmanship in every respect," Houston athletic director Dave Maggard said in a news release. "We apologize to the University of Arizona, its basketball team and to the Tucson community for what occurred Saturday evening. Aubrey will be suspended for Wednesday night's game, and we now consider the matter to be closed."We'll see if everyone else thinks the matter will be closed after the one-game punishment.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
1-26-2009 @ 9:52PM
jscrappydo said...
Why isn,t this punk in jail? This was an assult!! This punk should never play ncaa sports again, EVER!!!!!
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1-26-2009 @ 10:08PM
crveck said...
As an Arizona fan and graduate, I feel the punishment is fine.
Coleman was ejected, and it fired up the Wildcats enough that they pulled out of a double-digit deficit and ended up winning in OT.
Houston had that game in hand and the Coleman event turned it around, that is punishment as it is.
Arizona hasn't had that much fire in a long time, it was a blessing in disguise.
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1-27-2009 @ 4:03PM
jscrappydo said...
So, crveck. If I do this to you out in the street, some place in Arizona, All I have to do is say "sory dude" and everything is OK? Just because it happened in sports, doesn't make it forgivable!!!!!!
1-26-2009 @ 10:23PM
murph said...
everyone who believ's this kids stand on your head ! wow no one SHOCKING..
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1-26-2009 @ 11:22PM
B Ball Fan said...
This is unreal, shame on the NCAA. That was hardly an appology. If he was really sorry he would admitted that he just lost his head for a second and did a dumb thing. That would have said more then "He didn't mean it" BS Coleman, your a THUG and you know it. Best of luck in future, my guess is your are going blow it again and end up and jail. What are you going to say then? The man kept you down?
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1-27-2009 @ 12:57AM
hriss51272 said...
Once a "boof" always a "boof"
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1-27-2009 @ 1:59AM
Mr.G said...
Nobody in their right mind believes it was unintentional,but it sounds like the kid is sorry that he lost his composure and did something very foolish.Still,Conference USA,the NCAA and especially the U of Houston should have handed out a stiffer punishment for something like this.That so-called apology from Dave Maggard is pathetic and the U of Houston should be ashamed of both these clowns.
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1-28-2009 @ 12:20AM
ianpx247 said...
You have to check out the Arizona Daily Wildcat photo of it, no one got a better shot. dailywildcat.com
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1-29-2009 @ 10:41AM
changegtodayNOW said...
STIFFER PUNISHMENT!
STIFFER PUNISHMENT!
STIFFER PUNISHMENT!
STIFFER PUNISHMENT!
STIFFER PUNISHMENT!
KICK HIM OUT!
If this was a white guy stepping on a black guy heads would roll (btw I am brown)!
Just because he said sorry doesnt mean anything!
Apparently it is okay to stomp another mans face, because now we know all we will get is a foul or a one game suspension.
STIFFER PUNISHMENT!
STIFFER PUNISHMENT!
STIFFER PUNISHMENT!
STIFFER PUNISHMENT!
STIFFER PUNISHMENT!
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1-29-2009 @ 12:29PM
Mack Daddy said...
What a bunch of BS. Did you see how high he had to lift his leg to make this face stomp happen? He didn't even show one lick of remorse. Unless you call smiling and hand shakes with his team remorseful. I would been getting Conference USA support to have Aubrey Coleman removed for the remaining season, and atleast talking with a lawyer. I don't even watch basketball, but I know BS when I see it..
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